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Vantablack Is the New Black: Scientist Discover Striking New Color

Vantablack Is the New Black: Scientist Discover Striking New Color

Scientists discovered a new level of black that can help astronauts see into outer space way better than they ever have in the past. The “alien material” is so dark, the human brain has a hard time perceiving it.

Scientists at Surrey NanoSystems discovered the actual new black, and turns out it’s still black! Vantablack is the darkest form of the color. A British Company produced a strange material that is so dark it absorbs all but 0.035 percent of visual light. This new “super black” material is thinner than hair and is almost weightless.

With normal shades of black, our eyes are used to seeing on a daily basis, we can perceive what we’re looking at. That’s not the case with Vantablack. The color is so dark that the human eye has a hard time perceiving what exactly it’s looking at. Taking a peek at this new discovery, you’ll think you’re staring right into an abyss.

The color is so confusing that if people were to wear clothes that are Vantablack, it would appear as if their heads are floating above a hole. Although it has no aesthetic use, it actually might help scientists see into space. Vantablack can be used to enable astronomical cameras, telescopes, and infrared scanning systems to function more effectively than they ever have in the past. Apparently, militaries are trying to get their hands on the stuff for a top secret reason Surrey Nanosystems is not allowed to discuss.

Actual applications are more serious, enabling astronomical cameras, telescopes and infrared scanning systems to function more effectively. Then there is the military uses that the material’s maker, Surrey NanoSystems, is not allowed to discuss.

The Vantablack Material has been grown on thin sheets of aluminum foil in the company’s lab. The foil is crumpled, making hills and crevices. However, once the Vantablack is placed onto the shiny sheets, all shapes and landscapes disappear. The firm’s chief Ben Jensen describes the strange sensation he feels when he took a look at the material. “You expect to see the hills and all you can see … it’s like black, like a hole, like there’s nothing there. It just looks so strange,” he said.